Interstate ‘Compact’ Would Head Off Redskins Stadium Bidding War

With Washington Redskins owner Daniel Snyder already at work on a replacement for FedEx Field in Landover, Washington-area lawmakers are hoping to protect taxpayers from a bidding war.

Dels. David Moon (D-Montgomery) and Trent L. Kittleman (R-Howard) have proposed legislation creating a compact in which Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C., would agree to not provide public funding, or free or below-market land, to the team. The bill, HB 229, is up for a hearing Tuesday afternoon in the House Appropriations Committee.

“The idea is that if all three jurisdictions agree at the same time not to use public financing to subsidize a new football stadium, that this would be a way for governments to [avoid the] bidding wars we’ve seen any time a team is talking about moving or building a new stadium,” said Moon.

Washington Redskins owner Daniel Snyder has hinted he’s looking to upgrade from FedEx Field in Landover when the team’s lease expires in 2027.

Snyder’s lease at FedEx runs through 2027, and the facility is only 20 years old, but it’s no one’s idea of a great venue. The stadium is a long drive for most fans, it’s not easy to reach by Metro, and parking is expensive.

Snyder has reportedly hired an architect to design a new stadium with a retro vibe, one that would evoke the quirky confines of RFK Stadium on East Capitol Street in D.C., where the team played during its glory days. Last year team president Bruce Allen said talks with area leaders in Virginia, D.C. and Maryland were “ongoing and very positive.”

D.C. Councilman David Grosso (I-At Large) and Virginia state Del. Michael J. Webert (R-Fauquier) have introduced legislation similar to the Moon/Kittleman bill. The interstate compact would only go into effect if leaders in all three jurisdictions signed on.

Given the cache – if not the economic value — of NFL stadiums, passage is far from certain. Grosso’s bill was assigned to the D.C. Council’s Finance Committee, a panel whose chairman, Jack Evans (D-Ward 2), is a vocal proponent of getting the ‘Skins back to the city. Former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) made no secret of his desire to see the team move to Loudoun County. And some Maryland lawmakers have signaled a reluctance to tie the state’s hands.

“It might make sense for Prince George’s County to buy the land for them or do some special breaks,” said Sen. Michael J. Hough (R-Frederick). “So I would hate to see us pass something where we’re just totally uninvolved in the process.”

Despite the opposition, Moon believes there’s scant reason to spent public funds on a team as lucrative as the Redskins, which, at an estimated $2.85 billion, is one of the most valuable sports franchises in the world.

“Football stadiums are typically thought of as a really poor return on investment for tax[payer] dollars,” he said. “They only play 10 home games a year. We’re not talking about all sorts of professional jobs. It’s a lot of hot dog vendors and merchandise retailing and stuff like this. So the payoff for what they cost is really not worth it.”

Bruce DePuyt spent more than two decades on local television, including 14 years as host of News Talk on NewsChannel 8 in the D.C. metro region. He has served as reporter, anchor and producer/host of 21 This Week in Montgomery County, as well as a reporter/anchor at NBC affiliate WVIR-TV in Charlottesville, VA. Bruce also is the host of the weekly The Bruce DePuyt Podcast.

4 COMMENTS

I totally agree with Delegates Moon and Kittleman on this. Sports stadiums are a frivolity. Let the very wealthy Redskins owner Dan Snyder spend his own money on another stadium if he doesn’t think the current one is good enough. Why should the state of Maryland or a jurisdiction like Prince George’s provide either tax breaks or funds for Mr. Snyder’s pet project? I hope Gov. Hogan can restrain himself from proposing another tax break for a business enterprise. Both the state and Prince George’s County would do well to concentrate on putting more money into a matter of true public responsibility: our public schools. Our public officials do not need to bail out the Redskins (as if they needed bailing out).

As long as the general Assembly will be considering a 3-state reciprocal piece of legislation that has no chance of ever becoming a workable law in those jurisdictions, why don’t they also consider legislation requiring an non-compete agreement among those jurisdictions for any new enterprise. Maybe even actually naming Amazon as one such specific entity.

Terrific idea but I’m not sure how plausible it is. Stadiums aren’t big enough money makers to justify the investment, there are better things the state could be spending that money on. An MLB team generates about as much economic activity as a mid-sized department store, would you want the legislature spending tens of millions to keep a Walmart in Landover?